Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

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Paula M Pijut

Forestry and Natural Resources 

  • Professor Emeritus

Paula M. Pijut is a Research Plant Physiologist with the Northern Research Station, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC), and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Dept. of Forestry and Natural Resources and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University. Paula received her B.S. in Medical Technology from Maryville College of the Sacred Heart, her M.S. in Horticulture from Murray State University, and her Ph.D. in Horticulture from The Ohio State University. Paula has worked for the USDA Forest Service since 1989, and joined the HTIRC in 2001.

The HTIRC is a collaborative regional research, development, and technology transfer effort between industry, university, private, state and federal entities to advance tree improvement of central hardwoods for increased forest productivity in hardwood restoration and reforestation programs. The national mission of the HTIRC is to advance the science of hardwood tree improvement, genomics, physiology, protection, and utilization in the hardwood region of the U.S. by: developing and disseminating knowledge on improving the genetic quality of hardwood tree species and conserving fine hardwood germ plasm; developing elite hardwood trees for restoration and regeneration of sustainable hardwood forests and riparian zones for production of forest products and maintenance of genetically diverse ecosystems; increasing knowledge and developing systems for nursery production and plantation establishment; increasing knowledge and developing strategies for protection, utilization, and marketing of the hardwood resource; and developing recognized and respected science leaders in forest genetics, physiology, regeneration, protection, and utilization.

Paula’s research program focuses on plant cell, tissue, and organ culture for tree improvement and production. Her research is applied and fundamental directed toward germplasm improvement to increase resistance or tolerance to biotic or abiotic stressors. Her research interests include the physiological, anatomical, and biochemical bases for defense mechanisms to pathogen infection, development of protocols for in vitro selection, somatic embryogenesis, micropropagation, genetic transformation, clonal propagation, and induction of flowering in forest tree species, with subsequent acclimatization of plant material to the greenhouse and field environments. Current species of interest are black walnut, northern red oak, black cherry, butternut, white oak, and green, white, and black ash.

Research Group - Genetics

Facilities - Genetics Lab, John S. Wright Center, Plant Tissue Culture Lab

Awards & Honors

(2013) Citation of Appreciation. In Recognition of Distinguished Services Rendered to the Society as Consulting Editor to HortScience 2003-2012. American Society for Horticultural Science.

(2013) to 2017. Associate Editor and Board Member. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant. International Association for Plant Biotechnology. Springer.

(2011) to 2017. Editorial Board Member. Propagation of Ornamental Plants. Salvia Press.

(2011) In Vitro Report Journal Highlight. Biotechnological efforts for preserving and enhancing hardwood forest tree biodiversity, health, and productivity. Society for In Vitro Biology.

(2009) to 2017. Associate Editor. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture: Journal of Plant Biotechnology. Springer.

(2007) In Vitro Report Journal Highlight. Technological advances in temperate hardwood tree improvement including breeding and molecular marker applications. Society for In Vitro Biology.

Selected Publications

Stevens, M. E., & Pijut, P. M. (2017). Origin of adventitious roots in black walnut (Juglans nigra) softwood cuttings rooted under optimized conditions in a fog chamber. New Forests, 48, 685-697.

Lee, J. H., & Pijut, P. M. (2017). Adventitious shoot regeneration from in vitro leaf explants of Fraxinus nigra. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 130, 335-343.

Lee, J. H., & Pijut, P. M. (2017). Isolation and characterization of a floral homeotic gene in Fraxinus nigra causing earlier flowering and homeotic alterations in transgenic Arabidopsis. 10, 17-25.

Rahmani, M., Pijut, P. M., & Shabanian, N. (2016). Protoplast isolation and genetically true-to-type plant regeneration from leaf- and callus-derived protoplasts of Albizia julibrissin. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 127, 475-488.

Rahmani, M. S., Pijut, P. M., Shabanian, N., & Nasri, M. (2015). Genetic fidelity assessment of in vitro regenerated plants of Albizia julibrissin using SCoT and IRAP fingerprinting. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant, 51, 407-419.

Yu, X., Pijut, P. M., Byrne, S., Asp, T., Bai, G., & Jiang, Y. (2015). Candidate gene association mapping for winter survival and spring regrowth in perennial ryegrass. Plant Science, 235, 37-45. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2015.03.003

Palla, K. J., & Pijut, P. M. (2015). Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Fraxinus americana hypocotyls. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 120(2), 631-641. doi:10.1007/s11240-014-0630-1

Wang, Y., & Pijut, P. M. (2014). Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of black cherry for flowering control and insect resistance. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 119(1), 107-116. doi:10.1007/s11240-014-0517-1

Stevens, M. E., & Pijut, P. M. (2014). Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and plant regeneration of the hardwood tree species Fraxinus profunda. Plant Cell Reports, 33(6), 861-870. doi:10.1007/s00299-014-1562-2

Wang, Y., & Pijut, P. M. (2014). Improvement of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and rooting of black cherry. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant, 50(3), 307-316. doi:10.1007/s11627-014-9608-2

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